Monday, February 8, 2016

365 Blessings- February 8

I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and theyoung locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - my great army that I sentamong you. (Joel 2:25)

Joel's prophecy begins with the prophetic utterance of impending invasion of the land by
different kinds of locusts destroying the produce of the land. It may also have indicated
the invasions of the land by the Chaldeans.
"What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have
left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have
eaten." (Joel 1:4)
"The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up ; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is
dried up, the oil fails." (Joel 1:10)

Then comes the summons from the Lord to the people of the land to fast and pray and
repent of their sins.
'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping
and mourning.' Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for
he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents
from sending calamity. (Joel 2:12, 13)

And the promises for repenting and living a life pleasing to the Lord are detailed from
verses 19- 27 of Ch. 2.
The verse that we have here as the title verse is a part of these, in which God promises to
give back what they have lost due to the locust invasions.
'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young
locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - my great army that I sent among you.
(Joel 2:25)

Whatever blessings you lost because of your rebellion and sin will also be returned by the
Lord if you fast and pray and repent and live a life pleasing to God. He is a good God. He
loves you. Live for him. He will restore you.